Listening and Speaking Center (LSC)

Listening Practice Sites

1. Pulse of the PlanetThis site has short audio recordings which are accompanied by the complete text with pictures on one page. These programs are created by Jim Metzner For PULSE OF THE PLANET and include customs and traditions from around the world. http://pulseplanet.com

2. Lost and Found Sounds: The Stories This is a wonderful collection of sound documentaries which provide fascinating cultural history collected by the Kitchen Sisters. These programs are presented on All Things Considered on NPR (National Public Radio). Each recording is connected to a page which includes pictures and a detailed summary of the recording. http://www.npr.org/programs/lnfsound/stories/index.html

3. Talk Programs (NPR)This site includes programs like Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered. Another good choice is Fresh Air which has wonderful interviews of famous people! http://www.npr.org

4. Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab At this site, you can choose from a list of listening assignments that vary in length and difficulty. The conversations are created for second language learners to test their listening and you can read the transcripts and get help with vocabulary at Randallï¿½s place too.http://www.esl-lab.com/

5. Voice of America News You can hear the news from around the world and read the transcripts while you listen. Choose the current affairs topic you want to learn more about.http://www.voanews.com/index.cfm

6. English Learning For an introduction to the pronunciation software, ENGLISH POWER 1 and 2, go to this website. In the end, however, this is primarily an advertising site so talk to an LSL staff member if you are interested in using this software to improve your pronunciation. http://www.englishlearning.com/

7. EFL Club Songs Listen to the Beatles and other popular singers and improve your vocabulary. For a little more of a challenge, some of the words are missing from the lyrics for you to guess! This website is lots of fun! http://www.eflclub.com/2songs/songs.html

9. Ohio ESLOhio University offers an excellent reference list of listening practice sites. The list is well organized and descriptions include degree of difficulty. http://linguistics.ohio.edu/linguistics/

10. ElloTodd Beuckens designed this excellent site for beginner and intermediate learners of English. The audio clips are one to two minutes in length, use natural and informal English, and come with quizzes and dictionary links. Todd features interviews with speakers from all over the world. http://www.elllo.org

11. Live Radio and television from Around the WorldNo matter what you are looking for, whether it's music or international news, this is a great resource!http://broadcast-live.com/

15. Interesting Things for ESL StudentsThere are many useful links to improve your listening skill and pronunciation ability on this Charles Kelly website. You can listen and repeat all those irregular past tense verbs too! http://www.manythings.org/

19. Discovery channelThis website is similar to National Geographic and includes full TV episodes of popular shows from the Discovery channel.http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/

20. The English Learner Movie GuidesMovie summaries, vocabulary and cultural references, and other resources to support language learners going to the movies.http://www.eslnotes.com

21. English, babyThere are some good audio and video clips here that replicate authentic speech and provide a good focus on vocabulary. You are also encouraged to pay for the more advanced features of the website and there are way too many ads to navigate.http://www.englishbaby.com

22. English CentralLearn English while watching videos. You can record your voice and get feedback on this site. One of my students recommended it, so it's definitely worth exploring if you want to improve your speaking. You have to join the site but it's free.http://www.englishcentral.com/en/videos